Guides
What the research says about affirmations, and how to practise them so they have a fair chance of helping.
Do Affirmations Work? An Honest Look at the Research
Affirmations can help, depending on the wording and the person. Reflecting on your core values has strong research support (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). Repeated positive statements work best when they feel believable, and they can backfire for people with low self-esteem (Wood, Perunovic & Lee, 2009).
How Many Times Should You Repeat Affirmations a Day?
Start with 3 to 5 affirmations, said 5 to 10 times each, once or twice a day, which takes a few minutes. No study has tested an ideal number for affirmations. In habit research, new daily habits took a median of 66 days to become automatic, with a range of 18 to 254 days (Lally et al., 2010).
Should You Say Affirmations Out Loud?
Yes, if you can. In a 2010 paper, MacLeod and colleagues showed that people remember words they read aloud better than words they read silently, a finding called the production effect. Speaking also makes it harder to drift into autopilot. Saying affirmations in your head still helps when speaking isn't an option.